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The world's richest people

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According to Forbes Magazine, the richest person in the world is Carlos Slim Helu, with a net worth of $74 billion. He is the chairman and chief executive of telecommunications companies Telmex and América Móvil and has extensive holdings in other Mexican companies through his conglomerate, Grupo Carso SAB, and other global business interests. Allison Joyce/Reuters/File

American Bill Gates, chairman and co-founder of Microsoft, has a net worth of $59 billion; in 2010, he was worth $53 billion. Mr. Gates and his wife Melinda established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. He has, so far, given away $28 billion, as outlined in his 'Giving Pledge,' through which he has convinced 70 of the richest people in the world to give away half their wealth to charity. Larry Downing/Reuters

American Warren Buffett, with a net worth of $39 billion, is the chief executive officer of textile firm Berkshire Hathaway. He is part of Bill Gates's 'Giving Pledge' initiative to give away 50 percent of his fortune, and has been vocal about the need to increase taxation of the wealthy. Mr. Buffett's net worth in 2010 was $47 billion; shares of Berkshire Hathaway have fallen 10 percent since last August. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters/File

Bernard Arnault is the chairman and chief executive officer of the French conglomerate Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton S.A., better known as LVMH, with a net worth of $41 billion. While recession has struck Europe and the United States, demand in Asia for the luxury goods manufactured by LVMH has caused its shares to rise by more than half over the past year. Charles Platiau/Reuters

American Larry Ellison is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Oracle Corporation, a major enterprise software company; his net worth is $33 billion. Despite legal travails with German software company SAP and HP, Oracle stock has risen 15 percent from last year. Already a philanthropist, in 2010 (at the urging of Warren Buffett) Mr. Ellison joined the Giving Pledge started by Bill Gates. Paul Sakuma/AP/FIle

With a net worth of $31.1 billion, Lakshmi Mittal of India is the chairman and chief executive officer of ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaking company. Owner of many luxury homes worth hundreds of millions of dollars apiece, Mr. Mittal currently is planning to build a 'zero carbon footprint' home in England that will be totally self-sufficient and eco-friendly. Charles Caratini/Reuters/File

Amancio Ortega Gaona of Spain is the co-founder of the Inditex Group, a fashion company. He has a net worth of $31 billion and keeps a low profile, rarely being photographed, refuses to wear a tie, and prefers blue jeans and t-shirts to suits. Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom/File

Eike Batista, Brazilian business baron, has a net worth of $30 billion through his holding company EBX from industries including oil, mining, shipbuilding, energy, logistics, tourism, and entertainment. His stated goal is to become the richest person in the world. Sergio Moraes/Reuters/File

Mukesh Ambani is the chairman and managing director of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, the largest private sector enterprise in India. His net worth is $27 billion. In 2007, he was briefly the world's richest man. According to Forbes Magazine forecasts, he is expected to regain that title by 2014. Denis Balibouse/Reuters/File

American Christy Walton (photo unavailable), widow of Wal-Mart heir John Walton, has a net worth of $24.5 billion. She lost her husband to an airplane accident near their home in Wyoming in 2005. Mr. Walton was a decorated United States war veteran and a son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. He also was the chairman of True North Partners, a venture capital firm. Seth Perlman/AP/File

When Mark Zuckerberg, the 27-year-old co-founder of Facebook, announced last year that he was giving $100-million to set up a foundation to help Newark, N.J., public schools, he became one of the highest profile examples of an increasingly common type of big donor: the Internet geek gone good.